Pages

14.6.15

Rome

Just returned from a wonderful holiday in Rome. What a fantastic city it is. Very noisy and busy but filled with amazing Roman relics around every corner. We stayed at the hotel Capo d’Africa near the Colosseum. Very friendly and excellent service. There were also a number of good restaurants close by.

We visited all the important places, including the Colosseum, the
Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums and St Peter's, the Pantheon, Castel
Sant Angelo, and much more. A 3 day ticket from Omnia bought online covered the cost of entrance to the most important places, which included an hop-on-and-off bus. There was still some queuing involved but not as much as buying one ticket at a time.

We thoroughly enjoyed a guided tour of the Colosseum, hearing all about the horrendous games and spectacles that went on there, amounting to something like 700,000 human deaths, plus hundreds of lions, tiger, bears etc killed every day. It was damaged by an earthquake many years ago, but is still amazingly strong and absolutely huge, built to hold about 80,000 people, the aristocrats on the lower sections and the poor on the highest level. A portion of floor has been built in to show how it looked at the time, with a morass of channels and rooms beneath where slaves, animals and gladiators were held and trained. It is believed that around a third of gladiators survived, looked upon as celebrities because of their skills and bravery.

Arco di Constantino The Forum The Pantheon

We also strolled around the Forum, facing the Colosseum, which is equally fascinating with its temples, basilicas, arches and pillars, the centre from which Rome was once ruled. My imagination told me that it must have looked both regal and beautiful in its prime. Sadly, it suffered considerable damage from an earthquake in the ninth century and eventually fell into decline as did Rome itself. The next day we visited the Vatican.

The Vatican

Swiss guards

A walk through the Vatican museums to see the Sistine chapel at the
end takes about an hour and a half, but it is worth it. The art work of Raphael, Michelangelo and others, and ceiling and wall decorations are superb.

There is so much to see so it’s important to concentrate on the essential places, and
accept the fact there are crowds of people sharing this experience with
you. We planned each day with care, taking into account the stops for
the hop-on-and-off bus to help us along our way.

The wonderful thing about the city is that you can come across Roman remains or interesting buildings, around any corner. Quite by chance we found the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, a glorious palace situated on the Via del Corso. It cost only 8 euros to visit which included an audio guide in English telling the history of the building and the family who still occupy it. Absolutely beautiful, it’s one of the finest palaces in Rome.

It seemed to us a fairly safe city, although a bum bag or money belt is safer than a handbag. And do take a hat against the sun, as it is very hot. Street vendors sell bottles of near-frozen water for 1 or 2 euros, as well as hats and parasols, ice cream etc.

The only disappointment was that the Trevi fountain is currently being restored but we did drop in a coin so that one day we hope to go again.